August 29, 2014

1 + 1 = 3?

It's true. I am terrible at math. When it's my turn
to work the concession stand during our high school football games, they make
me handle the food.My thirteen-year-old has
to help me with Monopoly. At yard sales, I trust I'm being treated with honor.
Who am I to argue? I get arithmetic brain freezes.

I used to shudder at the thought of being asked to make
change, now with age I've come to think of my handicap as endearing.There's something about everyone that's less
than perfect. Instead of sad, we should see our flaws as charming.

Characters run the gamut from innocent and fun to
downright evil. In order to be memorable, however, they have to be charming, too. In literature, even the bad guy can make us cheer -- when nobody's
looking. Last year I saw a film that clearly illustrates this: Despicable Me. If you haven't seen the animated movie, I won't ruin for it you, but our
main hero is not a nice guy, until the end anyway. His mean antics are kind of
funny. He's sick, but not beyond redemption.

Another beloved cult villain is
Hannibal Lector. Don't ask me why on that one. The list goes on. Have you seen The Blacklist? James Spader is one serious psycho, but it's impossible not to like the guy. Who are some of your
favorite flawed characters? Come on, tell the truth. Do they do or say things
you'd secretly like to give a try?

But back to reality. Beyond cheering for the not so
pure in heart on occasion, we all need to cut ourselves some slack. Not
everyone can cook. Not everyone can parallel park. Some of us make better
decisions in the wardrobe department, others should not be allowed into Home
Depot. It's just life. A few flaws keep us humble and force us to recognize our
talents and improve ourselves. When characters do the same, we don't quite feel
so alone.So embrace yourself and your
bad math, too.

Stay balanced,

~Danielle Thorne

You can check out my new, sarcastic, charming hero and his many aliases in--

Proper Attire

Coming Soon September 2014!

Julia Scott reaches the West Indies, only to discover it fraught with more danger and adventure than a forced engagement.

I love and recommend Jade Bloom oils.

Notice: All images prior to April 2017 blog posts have been removed in order to protect the site and others from possible inadvertent copyright violation and those who seek to take advantage of it. The posts are still good, so enjoy the reads!